Grain-cleaner



(No Model.)

P. DALBB-Y. GRAIN CLEANER.

No. 250,789. Patented De0.13,1 881.

N. PETKRS. Phammhngmphqr, washmgmn. D. C.

UNITE STATES ATENT -rri-CE.

FRANKLIN DALBEY, OF SHERIDAN, CALIFORNIA.

GRAIN-CLEANER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 250,789, dated December13, 1881.

Application tiled July 18, 1881.

.To all whom lit may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANKLiN DALBEY, of Sheridan, county ofPlacer, Stateof California, have invented a Grain-Gleaner; and I hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to that class of agricultural implements known asgrain-clean ersg7 and it consists in the combination of mechanism,hereinafter set forth and claimed, for adjusting a double receiving-boxlwhereby the grain which is discharged above and subjected in its fallto a blast of air is cleaned up, the chaff and lighter grain being blownoutward into the farther receptacle and the good grain dropped closerin, from whence it is conducted upon a shaking screen for furthercleaning, all ot' which will hereinafter more fully appear.

The object of my invention is to clean up grain after it has beenthrashed, to render it suitable for market or for seeding purposes.

For these two objects a different degree of cleaning is required. Forthe market it is not necessary to clean the wheat as thoroughly as forseed. In the latter case not only the chaft and foreign stuff must beseparated, but all thelightandimperfectwheat,commonlyknown aschicken-feed, must be taken out, because as seed the best grains arerequired, while in the former case, if the wheat be not quite sothoroughly cleaned, it is just as good, and a considerable portion issaved.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective viewof my apparatus. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section.

A represents a vertical frame-work, in the top of which is an inclosedchute or blast-chamber, B, thefloor of which is inclined downwardlytoward the front of the device and connects with the fan-chamber C, inwhich a revolving fan, D, operates. The fan D is at the front of theblast-chamber B, and is so situated as to direct its blast full withinsaid chamber. The fan is operated by a crank-wheel, E, with anyappropriate power. At the rear end of the frame, above the top, is thefeed-hopper F, the discharge-opening in which is regulated by anordinary sliding plate, G. The opening of the hopper is just above andabout in a vertical plane with the end of the blast-chute.

H represents a supplementary or additional (No model.)

frame attached to the main frame. On the upper horizontal timbers areplaced guide-dan ges I. These support and guide the receptacle or box J,which is adapted to be moved back and forth thereon. This box has alongitudinal diaphragm or partition, K, dividing it into a compartment,a. The other side'of the box, or that which would be anothercompartment, is not closed on its side, and has an inclined top, b, asshown. The partition K is beveled o on top, that it may be sharp,.or, iffound preferable, I can fasten a strip'of iron on top and sharpen itdown so that it may act as a divider. In the side of compartment a is adischarge-opening, c.

On the rear side of the box Jis a metal strip, L, which hascross-grooves in its lower end, as shown. Through one groove a setsorew,M, passes. This screw has a collar, d, on its neck and ts it into theother groove of the strip,l

so that one ilange ot' said strip rests between the collar and head ofthe screw, and thus any movement of the screw will move the box. The endof the screw is set into a cross-piece of the frame H. When I set upthis screw I move the box J closer up, so that the divider K comescloser under the feed-openin g above. When I move this screw out I drawthe box away. The object is this: The grain is fed into the hopper aboveand passes out through the discharge and falls across the mouth of theblast-chute. There the blast strikes it, and blows the chaff'and lighterstuft farther out into the compartment a ofthe box J, and the wheat,being heavier, dropsdown upon the near side of the divider or partitionupon the inclined top or floor b, and thus is separated out. Now, it' Ido not want to clean it thoroughly,1 set the box J farther away. Thisgives a greater distance for the chaff to be blown into the compartmenta, and only the very lightest impurities will be blown that far, whilethe wheat, with the small grains, &c., will remain together; but if Iwant to clean for seed I set the box J closer up, and then all but theheaviest and best grain is blown into the compartment a. Thus I canobtain any intermediate degrees of cleaning, for by adjusting the box atdifferent pointsI can clean to suit.

The sharp divider or partition K prevents any of the grain from lodgingupon it, but di- IOO vides it clean and nice. In some Wheat there areimpurities Which are as heavy as the Wheat, and upon which, therefore,the blast has no effect. To reach this I have the inclined shakingscreen N, the upper end of which is in relation with the inclined topI), upon which the cleaned Wheat falls. This screen is hung from theframe by straps e, and is given a shaking motion by having ordinarycams, m, uponashaft,u,underthelowerend. Theshaft is given motion througha connecting-rod, 0, attached to gearing engaging with the crank- Wheelwhich operates the fan. The wheat, after falling upon the inclined topI), is discharged upon the shaking screen, by which the small but heavyimpurities are sifted out. This screen is only necessary for very linecleaning, and in such cases Where these heavy impurities are in thewheat and cannot be separated by the blast.

I am aware that in the application of a blast of air to falling grainthere is nothing new, nor do I claim anything for it broadly, nor forthe shaking screengbut What I do claim as new, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

1. In a grain-cleaner, a fan-blower, a box, J,

having an outer compartment, a, and an inner inclined top, b, and apartition or divider, K, and means, substantially as described, foradjusting said box, the Whole constructed to act in combination, in themanner set forth. 2. In a grain-cleaner, the combination of therevolving fan D, blast-chute B, feed-hopper F, and adjustable box J,substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

3. In a grain-cleaner having a fan-blower, the combination of theadjustable box J with its compartment a and inclined top b, and theshaking inclined screen N, arranged substantially as and for the purposeherein described.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

FRANKLIN DALBEY.

Witnesses WM. F. BOOTH,

S. H. NoURsE.

Uli ,A

